As soon as hailed as Pakistan’s fashionable batting genius, Babar Azam is quick operating out of excuses. The proper-hander’s struggles continued in Faisalabad, the place he scored simply 7 runs within the first ODI in opposition to South Africa — extending his century drought to 80 worldwide innings. For a participant who was as soon as in comparison with Virat Kohli, Babar’s latest document paints a worrying image. Since his final worldwide hundred — in opposition to Nepal within the 2023 Asia Cup — he has didn’t cross three figures even as soon as throughout codecs. In his final 30 ODI innings, Babar has managed solely 945 runs at a median of 35.00 and a strike price of 78.55, with a highest rating of simply 78. Regardless of these underwhelming numbers, surprisingly Babar nonetheless sits fourth within the ICC ODI batting rankings. His lack of ability to ship match-winning knocks in latest months has sparked debate amongst followers and critics alike about whether or not he nonetheless deserves to be known as Pakistan’s premier batter. The Faisalabad crowd, desirous to see their hometown hero rediscover his contact, was left disenchanted as he fell cheaply as soon as once more. Whereas Pakistan went on to clinch a two-wicket win in a tense end, due to Naseem Shah’s final-over single, Babar’s failure overshadowed a lot of the post-match celebrations. South Africa, batting first, posted 263 courtesy of Quinton de Kock (63) and debutant Lhuan-dre Pretorius (57). Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Abrar Ahmed (3-53) and Naseem Shah (3-40), did the job, however their captain’s batting continues to be a serious concern. With two matches left within the sequence, stress is mounting on Babar Azam. Except he finds a technique to finish this alarming run, Pakistan’s supposed batting king may quickly discover his crown slipping.